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Casual Sam fills void in Tallahassee's music scene

Casual Sam consists of four Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPI) brothers. Confidence reigns in the group's singer and frontman, Jeff Schermer, Daniel Berger plucks with passion on guitar, the drummer, Josh Hytner, coincidentally exemplifies the popular phrase "beats to his own drum," and on bass is the easy-going and casual, Sam Lemelman.

Discovering a start up band who has just about everything working for them is like finding someone in Tallahassee who doesn't know who Jameis Winston is. It's almost impossible, but the band Casual Sam rarely qualifies as ordinary.

Casual Sam consists of four Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPI) brothers. Confidence reigns in the group's singer and frontman, Jeff Schermer, Daniel Berger plucks with passion on guitar, the drummer, Josh Hytner, coincidentally exemplifies the popular phrase "beats to his own drum," and on bass is the easy-going and casual, Sam Lemelman.

Not surprisingly, the only label the band they seem comfortable subscribing to is "casual." According to them, the band doesn't really have an official genre.

"We took the word genre and we threw it out the window," Hytner said.

When asked about Casual Sam's classification, words such as "sexual energy" and "eclectic" were used sporadically and excitedly.

However, once Lemelman said "sexually eclectic," the other members laughed in agreement to their newfound and self-proclaimed placement.

"We all have such an eclectic music taste growing up and I feel like it has all come together in our project, and we take pride in not abiding by any rules," Lemelman said.

Even though it still may seem ambiguous, most of Casual Sam's audience and fans can testify that their music includes punk, rock, rap, hip-hop, reggae, funk and pop.

"It's everything you've ever wanted in rock music," Hytner said.

Being influenced by bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Sublime, Led Zeppelin, Rebelution, Offspring and even the movie School of Rock, Casual Sam brings what they love to their shows and to their music.

Not only does the band have an intriguing mixture of sound, but the members themselves have a remarkable dynamic as well.

"They all bring something completely different. They all have a personality that makes Casual Sam who they are. If you were to take one person out it would not be close to the same," said Jake Kosberg, AEPI fraternity brother and fan.

Fraternity brothers first and foremost, Casual Sam cemented their bond longb before they came together for the music.

"If you didn't spend so much time with a certain amount of people, then you wouldn't be able to connect with them in the same way. And the fact that we are fraternity brothers makes it even better too," Schermer said, "We already have that previous connection and now we have musical connection on top of it."

Typically, most people do not put being in a fraternity and being in a serious band hand in hand. However, Casual Sam emerged having a solid fan base of brothers at their side–right from the beginning.

"[AEPI brothers] were a built in fan base when we started. They help encourage us to become the best we could be because obviously they are already our brothers and they want to support us to the fullest," Berger said.

"They were our original supporters," Hytner said.

This following was apparent when Casual Sam played a show at Yianni's shortly before spring break, however, their encouragement first started at the frat house.

"A lot of the times the songwriting process happens [at the house]. We'll go around to like every room in the house and ask other brothers if they want to hear our song," Schermer said, "So by the time we are at the show, you can tell what kids are your good friends because they will literally know all the words to the song already."

The brotherly love and mesmerizing tunes are a good addition to the house and at any bar. But they were not the only elements present at the show at Yianni's, the elephant in the room was Casual Sam's energy.

"My most recent memory is probably when Schermer poured the beer on his head at Yianni's. He was 'swimming in his ability,'" Hytner said.

"There's a part in the song 'Give it Away' [by Red Hot Chili Peppers] that we open with and there's a crazy ass guitar solo and the next verse is 'Look at me, swimming in my ability,' and that part makes me want to rage so I just decided I was going to pour something over my head," Schermer said.

"The whole stage smelled like beer. It was awesome," Lemelman said.

Lemelman and Berger also displayed other antics, such as switching their instruments for a song or two–rocking them like they were their own.

"[At] one of our first shows, we were playing a song and I had a guitar solo, I walked in the crowd for it and that was really cool," Berger said.

"We're crazier than everyone else," Lemelman said.

For some, Tallahassee's rock scene may be in need of some craziness.

"When I see rock bands around Tallahassee, I see empty rooms, there's not much of a scene. We are bringing it back baby," Hytner said.

Casual Sam's energy comes from their deep passion for their music as it has given them a different meaning to their lives.

"The band has given me a new direction in life to go all out for the music and put my soul in it," Berger said, "It's something more to life."

"Before the band it was just like school, partying and work, and now it's Casual Sam," Hytner said.

For Lemelman, whose name and lifestyle inspired the band's name, Casual Sam has been more than just a passion– a persona. One that the whole band lives by.

"Casual is just really a lifestyle," Schermer said

"It's my identity now," Lemelman added.

According to the band, the name Casual Sam just happened, although it seems as though Lemelman's personality had a lot to do with it.

"He brings the energy of the whole band," Hytner said.

Surprisingly, the impressive bassist only picked up the instrument last August.

"I have played the guitar since I was in the seventh grade and then in August I got a bass. I always knew I could play it," Lemelman said.

Lemelman's band mates not only affirm to his laid back persona, but his talent as well.

"It was the role that needed to be filled," Berger said, "This kid plays bass better than anyone I've seen."

"There will be some songs where the whole time I will just be watching him because he's so good, I won't even be watching myself," Berger said.

Even though the bass was Lemelman's second instrument, this sort of affinity and connection to the bass did not come overnight.

"I practice a lot on it, I'm obsessed with it," Lemelman said, "It was almost like I needed to do it."

Taking up the guitar before another instrument seems to be a trend among more members of Casual Sam, but Hytner also decided he found his love elsewhere.

"I first started playing guitar around age 13 and then I was like 'pshI wanna play the drums.' So [when I was 15 or 16] I stole my brother's drum set and then I rocked out on the drums," Hytner said.

The guitar was what stuck with Berger ever since he picked one up.

"I started playing the guitar when I was 11 I think. I used to live right next to a music store so when I got bored I would just walk over and mess around," Berger said.

As for Schermer, the singer's enthusiasm and rapping skills were noticed by Lemelman, Hytner and Berger at one of their first shows, but while performing with their original singer.

"We knew he wanted to get up on stage because he rapped over some of our stuff at Red Rocks and killed it," Lemelman said.

"The first time he stepped foot in the garage we were like 'This is our guy,'" Hytner said.

After things didn't work out with Casual Sam's first singer, and following Schermer's lasting impression on the rest of the band, the rest was history.

"Four days after I joined the band, they had a show and their lead singer at the time wasn ' t going to practices and they weren ' t sure if they had the set down, so one day they asked me to practice and mess around with the set," Schermer said, "I went there and one thing led to another, and we just rocked it. We did it again the next day and I just knew the set."

The lack of a singer was missing from Casual Sam and they were pretty lucky to adopt the bold Schermer into their mix.

"To learn a set in four days and not be afraid to go up there took a lot," Schermer said.

Not only was Schermer brought in as vocalist, but also as a songwriter.

"He had an enthusiasm to want to learn the songs and make more songs," Lemelman said.

Right now the band has about 10 originals, all stories.

"We will set a scene and we'll decide to sing in third person for this song or for this verse, and we go about it kind of poetically and line by line for a lot of the songs," Lemelman said.

For example, they have a song called "Bottles on Cards," that they find useful to remind them to not go over their bar tab at the shows they are playing.

"It's a story about why we should stop using our credit cards to buy bottles," Lemelman said, "Keeps draining my account."

Similar to their exceptional covers, Casual Sam's originals also took to their followers.

"When they started making their own songs, I wasn't sure what to expect until I heard them play at a show, where they played all their originals, and I loved every single one of them," Kosberg said.

Soon after spring break, the band will be releasing their full length album with originals such as

"Hater Girl," "Delirium," "Wildcard" and "Ballad of the Elklord," just to name a few.

"Now that we have professionally recorded songs in the works and we're going to be recording an EP, we're going to have a legitimate product that we can use to generate buzz around ourselves," Schermer said.

Ever since the birth of Casual Sam during last Summer C, they seem to be taking their desires, goals and passions to heart.

Some of the band's professional goals include the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame, playing at Madison Square Garden and the Howard Stern show.

"I just want to keep playing everyday," Lemelman said.

"My goal is to never have a real job," Hytner said.

It's evident in all the band-member's voices that their intention is to keep playing after they all graduate.

"That is plan A, B and C," Lemelman said.

Meanwhile, Casual Sam will probably still perform their usual shows at the Strip, but they also have other shows in the works too.

"Our next show is a Relay for Life benefit show on April 6th. A lot of people should come out for that, it's a great cause," Hytner said.

Any information about Casual Sam's album, production and performances can be found on the band's Facebook or their Twitter, "Casualsamtheband."

As Schermer, Berger, Hytner and Lemelman strive to achieve their musical aspirations with the support of their AEPI brothers and fans, there is no doubt Casual Sam's dynamic and energy will remain in Tallahassee and within themselves, no matter where they end up.